Tiger on the prowl-again

AFTER two years and five months, Tiger Woods is back.

No, not back as the greatest golfer of his era— if we go by the standard of his game.

Instead, he has returned as a competitor— again—is feeling his way back, is trying to get his groove. Will he achieve it? Will his phenomenal brilliance that brought him an all-time second best of 14 majors from 1997 to 2009 ever come back?

Can he still summon that old magic that has made his name more than a byword in golf, even luring non-golfers to be glued on TVs at dawn just to watch him play?

In his comeback—no, return might be the more appropriate word— last week, Woods was in familiar territory. At Torrey Pines in San Diego, California, where he competed in the Farmers Insurance Open, Woods played four rounds—meaning he made the cut.

Just by advancing to the weekend was a biggie already as almost 2-1/2 years of pronounced inactivity gave him accumulated rust— not to mention having to endure four back operations and two knee surgeries along the grueling way.

In fact, many are of the belief that Woods is history as early as 2014.

“He is finished,” said the legendary Johnny Miller way back in 2011. “His victory in the majors will stop at 14.” Of course, I disagreed with Miller. Strongly. And, at age 42, Woods still has a lot of juice left in his pitcher.

Listen to Joe LaCava, Woods’ caddie, after the Torrey Pines event: “Ninety holes over five days in a row [including that 18-hole practice round]…I know he did that in the Bahamas, but those were three-and-a-half hours, and now we’re playing five-hour rounds. That makes a difference because you’re adding about seven, eight hours on your feet, playing golf, thinking about what to hit and hitting shots. So I’m glad he got through that. I’m not saying health isn’t going to be an issue, but it certainly looks better than it has before.”

He finished 23rd at Torrey Pines, where he won five times as a pro, despite hitting only 17 out of 56 fairways for the week.

I also watched him sweep three age-group world junior crowns as I was fortunate enough to cover the child prodigy in the 80s at Torrey Pines. “I’m pleased and I feel positive,” said Woods. The tiger is on the prowl yet again? Remember, the Masters is just weeks away.